Colin Kaepernick this week expressed the possibility he will spend the first months of the offseason working with an independent coach to hone his mechanics and sharpen his fundamentals.
Jeff Garcia, a three-time Pro Bowl performer during his five seasons (1999-2003) with the 49ers, believes he has a lot to offer Kaepernick.
“As somebody who played the position for a long time and didn’t fit the stereotype, who had to overcome the odds and battle, not just on a yearly basis but a daily basis just to prove himself, I know a lot of what it takes in order to achieve at that position,” Garcia told CSNBayArea.com. “And I’d be more than happy to help him out any way I can.
“If he’s open to it, hey, I’d love nothing more than to be someone who can help him continue to grow.”
Garcia, 44, has worked with high school, college and such professional quarterbacks as Mark Sanchez, Tyrod Taylor and Matt McGloin in San Diego in recent years. He spent several months this season as quarterbacks coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
Now, Garcia would like to transition to the NFL as an assistant coach. Garcia said he would like to rise up the coaching ladder and ultimately become a head coach.
Garcia spent five seasons in the CFL after a storied career at San Jose State. Bill Walsh gave Garcia his first chance at a career in the NFL, and Garcia carved out a 10-year career that included four Pro Bowl selections. He holds the 49ers single-season record with 4,278 passing yards in 2000.
Most of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, work with independent coaches in the offseason. After the season, the earliest that players on teams with first-year head coaches can work with their team’s coaching staffs is April 6. So it has become common for quarterbacks, in particular, to seek outside help in refining their skills.
“There’s value there,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Quarterbacks are always trying to improve their play and find something. Find one thing or find two things to help them, to get better. Colin’s always been that type of player that is looking for improvement for those two months that are after the season.”
Garcia has not had any contact with Kaepernick, who ranks 22nd in the NFL with a career-low passer rating of 85.1. He has thrown 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His 60.6 completion percentage is 24th in the league. Garcia believes he has a special distinction in comparison to some of the other so-called quarterback gurus. After all, Garcia experienced success as a quarterback at the highest level.
“He’s a highly athletic, talented young man,” Garcia said. “He’s still young. There is always room for growth. When I was 38 years old and starting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I was trying to be a better player. How could I work on my game? How could I be mentally sharper? How can I be physically sharper? How can I be stronger? How can I be better for my team? That is never going to fade away if you expect to be the best.”
Kaepernick, 27, has experienced the luxury of working under Harbaugh, who played in the NFL for 14 seasons. Kaepernick is finishing his fourth NFL season, and his second full year as a starter. Garcia said Kaepernick is gaining a lot of knowledge, and he can help him apply it on the field.
“You have to incorporate the mental side,” Garcia said. “We can always be better mentally. We can understand defenses better. We can understand what our offense is trying to do. How we’re attacking defenses. I’d definitely want to go over film with him, and talk about decisions he made, talk about decisions he didn’t make, and how he can improve decisions on the field.
“There’s got to be a sense of ‘How can I be more accurate, more efficient, get the ball out of my hands and not take as many sacks?’ There’s the process of going through the progressions from the No. 1 receiver to the No. 3 or 4 receiver and throwing a catchable ball. Not everything has to be thrown through the target. It has to be in a position where it’s catchable and easier and more effective for your players to get your hands on the ball and run after the catch.”
Physically, there are not a lot of similarities between Garcia and Kaepernick, who is listed as three inches taller and 40 pounds heavier. But Garcia said there are plenty of aspects of his game that Kaepernick can apply to his.
“He’s a more of a supreme athlete than I was in playing the game, but there are a lot of similarities in how he can play the game,” Garcia said. “I used my athletic ability to extend plays, when needed, to buy time and still make the throw down the field. At the last moment if the throw is not there, if I’m able to make some yards with my feet. I can make 5 to 8 to 10 yards.
“Now, he can make 95 yards with his feet, which is a great advantage. But it think there are a lot of similarities of being able to throw on the run and move the pocket and being able to stay within the pocket and move just slightly to buy time. Those are key factors and those are things I was able to do throughout my career.”
